South Korean Yoo Young-bok spent 47 years as a prisoner of war, laboring in North Korean mines. His story is one of cruel twists of fate and stubborn survival. WSJ's Alastair Gale reports from Seoul.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... you ... you ... you when you hear that it's the sixtieth anniversary of the Korean War ... many people don't know what really happened during the last time I was in ... for the many prisoners of war died miserably in North Korea ... I feel sorry that many people don't know that's a mess when I want to make decision and will ... use the site ... BdB ... to miss the little ... I am The four-year sold by careening ... my name is you know ... you ... don't believe that one ... an estimated twenty four thousand South Korean P O W sua left behind ... after the signing of the Korean War armistice in nineteen fifty three ... you don't poke was one of them ... he spent fifty seven years working in North Korean mines ... and waiting for repatriation that never came ... Pistorius One of cruel twist of fate ... and stuff and so thoughtful ... console with an old invaded in nineteen fifty Mr. Yu was pressed and into the North Korean Amin who appears to move ... by Devon who LULU ... current EU hundred ... people who supported North Korea came and took young students to the North Korean army ... forcing us to join as volunteer soldiers ... nine ... I was part of their army for a while ... when North Korea retreated to escape to met up with the South Korean army ... it is so ... horrible ... none of them ... Mr. New was not allowed to go home to his family ... instead he was sent to prison for two years ... in one month ago ... it can muddle so ... my daughter or tightening ... the South Korean army treated anyone who cooperated with the North even for a day to Zuckerman is ... going to die ... we had come to Korea I kept telling them that I was forced to join and listen to me ... I don't know it or not ... soon after he was released ... Mr. you join the South Korean army ... Coomera employee nearing a return on your team on and ... I felt a sense of guilt that I belong to the North Korean army for some time ... even though it's against my will ... I was assigned to the front lines in the wrong one province with a battle with the most intense a chat about it today ... he was captured again ... this time in an ambush by Chinese soldiers sent to support the North Korean troops ... he was a little more than a month before the armistice was signed ... what did the Nikkei up four c seventy or CBA was Jean kana nineteen fifty three ... but I became a prisoner of war ... and the middle ... what you did to me to prison camp in self-contained province in North Korea ... the camper all the South Korean soldiers in U S soldiers were kept ... why was there in the South and North signed the armistice agreement ... because of that we believe we would surely be sent back to the self ... the North Koreans ignored international law incentives to mine in north components cover for us it's it's it's a bit of ... sun and ... above ... all ... more as among the cayenne ... sale ... people are seeing are the ... top and a member ... of the fireworks there for about a year ... and the man was going to come to mind ... I spent forty seven years and five to six months in North Korea ... there were about one thousand other communities who work in them online ... tonight the ... technical ... side ... the real circuit that has taken a ... tumble into the imported action ... to calm the mind was notorious for hard labor ... he was primitive work do you know the mind and sweeping minerals together ... only the word and I will ... do my mind ... although he's ... within one g or I want to ... he was very dusty included ... in the labor was indescribably hard ... and they all ... can cut crude all going on and ... to my will to entice you to go tuition and not be ... that was good to get to use ... this North Korea's new to conceal their identity by keeping them all North Korean citizenship in nineteen fifty six ... the new Batman North Korea had no intention of ever letting them returned to the south ... wishing you the money to them that it ... was perfect man and one ... at the end of nineteen fifty six they decided to give as resident cards stewards with our labor forever ... but that all this and now the we have become citizens of North Korea ... we would no longer be oppressed and discriminated against ... from that though ... they also encourages us to get married and have a family ... I don't want ... to include also ... known as time went by many Peugeot resigned ... some of us who survived waited for the day that we can return home ... so I'm told ... that bubble ... misty erased a family in the NOLs ... struggled through this nominee is in the mid nineties ... Patel to his wife died and his children grow up to age seventy ... he decided to take the great risk of trying to escape through China ... off to hearing stories of others making it out of the country is another vitamin can give them that long in two thousand South Korean President Kim dae John visited North Korean get back ... on ... course to fall ... to like that it's ... when I first saw the news on TV in my neighbor's home and burst into tears ... expecting I would find when you go back to the self ... they announced in June fifteen North-South joint declaration ... that didn't mention a word about your dummies ... when I was very disappointed ... in a month later I decided to go back on my own ... and follow the lady who does business in China ... to it ... I ... after weeklong journey ... this to you crossed into China and was met by his stepfather ... welcome back to Seoul ... pointing at the Apple was his ninety four year old father and the rest of his family ... who has long told he died ... what what you did not earn ... as the mountain ... it's hurtful to think that my ears couldn't come even for a day in witness how much South Korea ... the country's they fought for ... and develop ... from the IPO ... cool cousin throughput will I feel sorry relieving my family behind in North Korea and effecting alone cannot was a testament to the conditional oh seven would have said if the situation wasn't so bad ... try to help my family in the north as much as I can ... I want to tell them to believe that when the time comes in the two Koreas United ... we will meet in secret ... all ... this I'm ... going to lose ... I ... a few hundred kWh sold to still be locked in North Korea ... the South Korean government says the issue has been raised repeatedly ... with the North refuses to acknowledge that the period of use exist ... or London is marked with someone wants to hear my story my will cheer him ... up for the purposes remind people that the Korean War has an end ... for The Wall Street gentle ... this is Alister Gale and soul ...